This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 from an application entitled Charge and Discharge System of Battery earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Jun. 14, 2000, and there duly assigned Ser. No. 2000-32699 by that Office.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery charging and discharging system, and more particularly, to a battery charging and discharging system including a tray and an electrode contact clip that are used for charging and discharging a pouch type battery.
2. Description of the Background Art
Typically, a polymer secondary battery is manufactured by sealing electrodes assembly in a pouch formed of aluminum and then performing predetermined charging and discharging processes. The pouch includes a battery receiving portion for receiving the electrodes assembly and a gas receiving portion for receiving gas produced during battery charge and discharge. The battery receiving portion is connected to the gas receiving portion via a passage. Gas which is produced from the electrodes assembly during a battery charging and discharging process flows into the gas receiving portion. Thereafter, the gas receiving portion is cut away in a state in which the passage is shut tight.
An earlier battery charging and discharging system includes a tray having a structure of four steps. An insertion portion into which a battery pouch is inserted is formed at each step. A first battery insertion portion, a second battery insertion portion, a third battery insertion portion and a fourth battery insertion portion are formed in the tray. These battery insertion portions are arranged in tiers. Certain distances indicate the respective width of individual insertion portions. Guides are formed within each distance to guide a battery pouch to an insertion portion.
A battery pouch includes a gas receiving portion, a battery receiving portion and a cover which are integrated thereto. A gas flow passage is formed between the gas receiving portion and the battery receiving portion. A groove is formed between the gas receiving portion and the battery receiving portion. The groove corresponds to a guide of the tray so that it guides the battery pouch to any of the battery insertion portions. An electrode connected to an electrode tab of electrodes assembly is received in the battery receiving portion. When an electrode pin for applying power contacts the electrode, a battery can be charged and discharged.
In such a polymer secondary battery charging and discharging system, the tray can receive batteries at each step, i.e., a total of 32 batteries. However, since the tray receives batteries in multiple tiers, an amount of unnecessary space exists in the tray.
Moreover, when an electrode pin contacts the electrode in a state in which a battery is inserted in the tray, exact contact between the electrode and the electrode pin cannot be attained. More specifically, the electrode pin is installed to move up and down so that it can contact the electrode. The electrode pin is moved down by a driving device so that it can contact the electrode. Here, since the electrode pin contacts the electrode within the cross-sectional area of the pin electrode, reliable contact cannot be secured. In other words, since a plurality of electrode pins simultaneously move down and contact a plurality of electrodes, the probability of poor contact always exists.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved battery charging and discharging system.
It is a another object of the present invention to provide a battery charging and discharging system having improved tray and electrode contact clip.
It is still another object to efficiently increase the area used for battery charging and discharging within a limited space.
It is still yet another object to have a battery charging and discharging system that can decrease the cost of manufacture by accommodating batteries of varying sizes.
Accordingly, in one embodiment, there is provided a battery charging and discharging system including a tray. The tray includes a battery insertion unit having a plurality of battery insertion portions, into which battery pouches can be inserted, and holes, through which the electrodes of the battery pouches can pass, on its bottom; and a frame surrounding the edge of the battery insertion unit.
To achieve the second object, preferably, the battery charging and discharging system may further include an electrode contact clip. The electrode contact clip includes plate springs facing each other so that they can hold an electrode protruding through a hole on the bottom of the battery insertion unit, and a base for supporting the plate springs.
Preferably, the top plane of the battery insertion unit is lower than the top plane of the frame, and the bottom plane of the battery insertion unit is higher than the bottom plane of the frame. Preferably, a guide corresponding to a groove of each battery pouch extends on the inside of each battery insertion portion in the lengthwise direction of the insertion portion.
In another embodiment, there is provided a battery charging and discharging system including a pocket having a battery insertion portion whose top is opened so that a battery pouch can be inserted into the battery insertion portion; and a tray including a battery insertion unit having a plurality of pocket insertion portions, into which the pocket can be inserted, and a frame surrounding the edge of the battery insertion unit.
Preferably, the battery charging and discharging system further includes an electrode contact clip including plate springs facing each other so that they can hold an electrode of the battery pouch, the electrode protruding above the pocket; and a base for supporting the plate springs.
Preferably, the pocket has a bottom insertion portion whose bottom is opened, and each pocket insertion portion of the tray has a projection extending upward from the bottom of the pocket insertion portion so that the projection can be inserted into the bottom insertion portion of the pocket. Preferably, an electrode support having a curved surface is formed at the upper portion of the pocket so that the electrode of the battery pouch can be supported by the electrode support, and a guide extending from the upper portion of the battery insertion portion toward the bottom is formed on the inside of the battery insertion portion of the pocket so that the guide corresponds to a groove of the battery pouch.